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August 20-21, 2011
Ravensbourne
O2, London
Latest blog entries
It's finally here! Immersive Writing Lab: Day 1 and Day 2 structure
Posted 19 August 2011
So below is the structure for Day 1. Registration starts at 8:30 but we do understand some of you are travelling very far to get here, so the event will not start properly until 9:15 (but more likely 9:30). There will be hot drinks available via the cafe and you will be given a free packed lunch, courtesy of Tea America.
You will see one more speaker has been added to the bill - Tom Bowtell, who currently works for Coney, a very interesting live event group.
Day 1 - Learning the tools
Saturday, August 20, 2011 at 9 AM - 5PM
8:30 – 9:00: Registration
9:00 – 9:15: Introduction
9:15 – 10:00: The Changing Audience, Matt Locke
10:00 – 10:45: Story and Character, Paul Ashton
10:45 – 11:00: BREAK
11:00 – 11:45: Character Design in the Digital Age, Marcus Brown
11:45 – 12:30: Introducing the Protagonist in Social Networks, Julian McCrea
12:30 – 13:30: LUNCH
13:30 – 14:15: Touch and Narrative, J C Hutchins
14:15 - 15:00: Relationship of things - how the internet can help continuity and theme, Paul Rissen
15:00 – 15:15: BREAK
15:15 – 16:00: Storytelling and performance, Tom Bowtell
16:00 – 16:45: How to be a Showrunner in the Digital Age, David Varela
16:00 – 16:30: Round-up launch of Storyworld competiton with Circalit
For those attending Day 2, you will receive instructions which we recommend you read before the next day...
DAY 2 - CREATIVE WORKSHOP
Date: Sunday, August 21, 2011 at 10AM - 4PM
So this is the creative workshop - we want to keep this a bit more cryptic. Just make sure you get a good night's sleep. PLEASE ARRIVE BETWEEN 9:30 and 10. WE WILL START PROMPTLY AT 10AM. Again the cafe will be open and you will be getting a packed lunch for this day.
THE IMPORTANT BIT - VEGETARIANS SPEAK UP
If you could be so kind as to reply to this email if you are a vegetarian by Wednesday evening, that would be great. Otherwise you might not get the packed lunch you want and that would not be good thing.
GETTING THERE:
So the Immersive Writing Lab is being held here:
Ravensbourne College
Greenwich Penninsula (next to the O2)
London
United Kingdom
The nearest tube is North Greenwich on the Jubilee Line. When coming out of the station, head towards the O2, before you get there you will see a building on the right hand side with a large number of circular panels, reminiscient of Madrid. Go past Chiquitos on your right, and you will see a set of revolving doors. We will be there to meet you.
A Seachange in Storytelling
Posted 25 July 2011
The digital revolution is changing the world – and changing the way we tell each other stories.
The unexplored frontiers of this revolution are a siren call to the experimental instinct of storytellers, the communications instinct of activists and community builders, and the “gold rush” instinct of business people wanting to find the Next Big Thing.
Right now, the revolution is in storytelling. Read this example from Wired before you read further.
You might not realise it, but you’ve already experienced stories told this way. It’s been argued that George Lucas was the first storyteller of this kind, with Star Wars merchandising stretching the films and characters far beyond their original narrative. For a modern update, fans around the world are now waiting for JK Rowling’s immersive website Pottermore.
Some reasons why you should take note of this new movement:
o Last year, visionary director Guillermo Del Toro and his creative partners formed Mirada, a production studio that handles everything from concept to post production and calls itself “a storytelling engine in the form of a company – an imaginarium, where we are free to explore”.
o Earlier this year, legendary plastic couple “Barbie and Ken” began to play out their love story on the social media stage. Barbie left Ken for a surfer seven years ago, and after a long and involved love story that played out over media from Twitter to Billboards, fans voted to reunite the plastic people on Valentines day this year. You can still join the 2million+ fans of Barbie on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
o As far back as 2009, Hollywood trade mag Variety identified transmedia storytelling as the “future of the biz”.
o In April 2010 the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA) recognised the credit of “Transmedia Producer”.
o Tim Kring, creator of hit television show Heroes, developed Conspiracy for Good in collaboration with Nokia. This was a game that took place across the internet and mobile over four weeks, culminating in a live action event in London and raising money for charity in the real world.
o London-based company Mind Candy ran a puzzle based game called Perplex City, which offered cash prizes to the people who could locate a precious artifact from a fictional city which had apparently been hidden somewhere on earth. The game also involved playing cards which were sold to players, an example of a viable revenue model for this form of storytelling.
o In 2007, renowned industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails sent out a series of interlinked clues which fans followed to reveal supplementary words and images linked to the band’s album and tour.
But this is only the start...
If you are a writer, Portal Entertainment is hosting an Immersive Writing Lab in August with a £6k development fund for the writers of tomorrow. The festival aims to help writers explore new forms of storytelling and you can find out more here. Tickets to the Immersive Writing Lab cost a tiny £20 if you book early!
ANNOUNCEMENT: Early bird tickets now on sale!
Posted 21 July 2011
So it has been along time in development - but the Immersive Writing Festival launches today!
It's an exciting time to be a writer. Not only are the audiences' attention changing around how you tell a story to them, you now have a much wider palette than ever before in which to draw them into the worlds you create; from new digital platforms (social networks, tablet computers) to reinventions of old forms (such as e-books).
This event is about helping you understand that wider palette to tell a story. They are two days of inspirational talks, demos which will help you develop stories that push the boundaries of what is possible for a protagonist, drama and audience involvement in the digital age. More importantly we hope it will help you connect with other writers and professionals who are also starting on this journey.
Come to the Immersive Writing Lab if you are interested in:
- Writing & Technology
- Interactive Fiction
- Storytelling that is told on more than one platform at a time
- Linear vs. Non-Linear Narrative Drama
- Character Development
After the event, we will be running a 3 month competition for you to enter, with two prizes:
1st prize: 6k development fund for the winning storyworld to be developed by Portal Entertainment
2nd prize: The Top 5 entries will be given professional feedback from BBC Multiplatform Exec Producer Sarah Clay (Becoming Human, Waterloo Reunited, E20).
We're here to create the writers of tomorrow - I hope this event helps you on that journey.
Early bird tickets are now on sale - we've kept the price really affordable - we want the event to be about big minds, not big budgets. Click on tickets in the main navigation to purchase.
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